DR. ALEXANDER LEITH MCFARLAN DAVIDSON

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DR. ALEXANDER LEITH MCFARLAN DAVIDSON Peacefully on May 24, 2014, with his family by his side, Alexander (Sandy) Davidson passed away. He will be lovingly remembered by his daughters Sandra, Patricia (David), son Andrew (Karen), and grandchildren Mark (Susan), Eric, Kevin, Jillian, Rhys, Matthew, Angela, Ryan and Sarah. He was predeceased by his wife and soul mate Phyllis Davidson in 1993. Dad was born in Coatbridge, Scotland March 23, 1924. He graduated from St. Andrew's University in Scotland in 1947 with M.B., Ch.B. and served as a military medical officer in the Royal Army Medical Corps from 1948 to 1950. He completed his postgraduate education in surgery in London, England; Trenton, New Jersey and Denver, Colorado. In 1951, he was the first doctor from Britain to be awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for postgraduate surgical studies in the United States. Sandy met Phyllis while working in Lincoln and they were married in 1956. In 1960, with Dad's sense of adventure and love of travel, they immigrated to Winnipeg. Dad was passionate about a medical career that spanned over 50 years. He was an active member of the Winnipeg General Hospital, Misericordia and Victoria Hospitals as a general surgeon. He served on numerous boards and committees and worked as Medical Officer for C.P. Rail and Occupational, Environmental and Preventative Medicine. He also gave time to the church being on and then chairing the Pastoral Care Committee at Fort Garry United Church. He was always thinking of others and was instrumental in getting an elevator installed at Fort Garry United Church so that all people could attend and participate. His greatest love was for his family. Family holidays and family traditions were important and he strived to instill a sense of loving kindness in each of us. He enjoyed each one of his children and then grandchildren's activities and accomplishments. He cherished the time spent together. He loved the outdoors and could spend hours in the garden. His favourite places included Assiniboine Park Conservatory, English Gardens and Leo Mol Sculpture Garden. He often took the grandchildren to look at the goldfish and have tea, and in later years we would take him so he could sit and enjoy the flowers and greenery. His endless sense of adventure was evident through his travels. Although a piece of him died the day our mother passed away he courageously took on this next chapter of his life and traveled extensively. He took numerous trips with People to People organization where he felt by learning and connecting cross culturally it would help build a network of knowledgeable global citizens. Dad visited all seven continents enjoying each experience for what it offered. Dad's other great loves were books, music, opera and the theatre. He had so many books and could recite authors and story lines to any book you pulled off the bookshelf. Our home was filled with books, bookcases and boxes of books. He was a gentleman, a proud Scotsman and had a twinkle in his eye. He is going to be dearly missed by all of us. A memorial service will be held at St. Andrew's United Church, 255 Oak St., June 2, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. We would like to extend our appreciation to the staff at West Park Manor where Dad spent the last few years. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Assiniboine Park Conservatory or a charity of your choice.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on May 31, 2014